Blogs from Bourges, Centre, France, Europe

This posting will cover four days as we have taken some chillaxing time as we picked a rural property to stay at with a pool. 16th. The trip from Beaunes was great for me as finally I have got Rose into the driver seat. We started out from Beaunes to Châteauneuf-en-Auxois, but we had to stop when we found a lock in the middle of nowhere. Châteauneuf-en-Auxois is one of those fantastic little towns with so much to see, the website unfortunately didn't indicate that they shut for lunch so we missed a tour of the Chateau, but we found a new house to buy (see Photos). Once back on the A road we stopped at a rest stop for Rose to take the reins. We spent the next two hours on C and D roads ... read more

Mostly, this was a day of getting from one place to another. It was prolonged because a major highway was closed, we think due to flooding or flood damage. This caused us to take another route that added 100 km to our trip. But we try to never have a day without doing something of interest, so today we stopped by the little town of Annecy, France. It has canals and a river runs through it, and is picturesque enough that it has been said to be one of the prettiest small towns in France. We wandered the streets, looked into the old chateau, and then Dean and Chuck and I stopped at a local brasserie and had cappuccino and waffles, while the ladies went shopping. We then drove on into Bourges, which we did not ... read more

Geo: 47.0829, 2.39658We were all out the door with our luggage by 8:15 this morning to meet our Flemish driver, Jean (who somewhere along the route got a call from his daughter telling him he's going to be an Opa next year), for the journey to Guedelon and then Bourges.Except for 15 minutes at a rest area (which was a helluva lot nicer than any rest area I've ever seen in the U.S.), our first stop was at Guédelon to see a 13th century castle being built. When I saw this bit on the itinerary, I thought, "Meh." But it wound up being absolutely fascinating. Some rich French guy who "collects" castles thought it would be fun to actually build one, and to build it in exactly the same manner, method and style they would have ... read more

Today's journey takes us through the very centre of France. First we stop in Bourges, to see the Palais Jacques Coeur, the Cathedral of St. Stephen and the delightful Archbishop's gardens. Then into the very centre of the 'hexagon', as the French often call their homeland, to stop at the village of St. Amand Montrond. We continue via the volcanic hills around Clermont Ferrand and on to Lyon - a gourmet's paradise on the rivers Rhone and Saône. A walking tour of the old city - a UNESCO World Heritage site, reveals the city's rich and cultural past. It is the largest Renaissance district in France with its narrow streets, inner courtyards and "traboules". We will also drive up the Fourvière hill to admire awe-inspiring views over the city. Then on to our hotel for dinner ... read more

Hi Everyone I have been so busy and have forgotten to keep updating my blog! I have yet another strike today at school so I figured now was the perfect opportunity to write about the Printemps de Bourges. Printemps de Bourges is a huge music festival that has been running in Bourges (right in the centre of France an hour south-east of where I live) for over 30 years. It is an annually run festival and it goes for a week in April. I was lucky enough to go with some American friends and we have the most amazing time. The city is taken over with bands, acts, singers, dancers and just general rowdiness! We had so much fun going out during the day and just looking at different performances and the likes on the side ... read more